| Not everyone can be tied down to a desk, whether it's | | | | many people, even those who are in touch with |
| in an office or at home. This posed a problem in the | | | | technology, think that's the only option for a reliable |
| early days of the internet, as desktop computers | | | | internet signal that goes where you do. |
| weren't remotely portable and the internet itself was | | | | Fortunately for them, that's not the case. While many |
| nowhere near anything speedy, whether it was | | | | think that Wi-Fi is the latest development in the actual |
| sending a text file or even downloading a simple | | | | internet, the truth is that the distinction belongs to |
| medium-resolution image. But things change, especially | | | | WiMax, a technology that treats getting online more |
| in the technology world, and they change fast. | | | | like delivering a signal to say, your cell phone. With |
| Today, it seems that everyone from soccer moms to | | | | numerous towers spread out across the United States |
| texting tweens have figured out not just how to send | | | | and more going up every day, WiMax is able to beam |
| and receive email, but also to Tweet, surf the net, and | | | | the signal from tower to tower, delivering a steady and |
| even film videos not just on computers, but on | | | | reliable signal to laptops and desktops anywhere in the |
| smartphones. With faster and faster networks, like the | | | | country. Whether you're sitting on the runway waiting |
| 4G unveiled this year by a number of phone | | | | for your flight to take off or just pulling up to a hotel |
| companies, it's easier than ever to get the web from | | | | across the country, getting online is actually as simple |
| just about anywhere. Gone are the days of dial-up | | | | as turning your computer on, with it automatically |
| modems, waiting hours for mp3s to finally download, | | | | finding the strongest local network and connecting you |
| and endless troubles with finding a wireless network | | | | automatically. |
| that wouldn't drop the signal. | | | | What this means for the future of travel and business |
| But not everything in the world can be accomplished | | | | is that instead of small devices that deliver the speed |
| from a small phone screen. Just ask people who | | | | and the service but not in a format that is conductive |
| spend a lot of time on the road. Whether it's a spirit of | | | | to long-term use, mobile broadband actually manages |
| adventure, a job that knows no office bounds, or | | | | the perfect balance of functionality with room for |
| something in between, those road warriors who | | | | growth. After all, it might not be long before travelers |
| depend on the internet to connect them with both jobs | | | | find themselves able to cross the pond, turn on their |
| and loved ones back home might initially be thrilled at | | | | laptop, and automatically connect with the very same |
| ditching wireless internet networks for their cell phones, | | | | wireless internet network that was helping them out |
| only to find that it's less than enjoyable to write emails | | | | back home. |
| from a touchscreen, especially in a moving vehicle. But | | | | |